Karcha Kala

Karcha Kala, also called Bolat-Kala, stands on a steep rock above the Cherek-Balkarsky valley. Built in the twelfth or thirteenth century, the fortress formed part of a chain of defences overlooking the mountain settlements below. Its front wall had narrow openings from which defenders could watch the valley. Local tradition associates it with the Alanic ruler Bolat. According to Timur's chroniclers, his army stormed a fortress held by a ruler named Pulad after he refused to surrender a fugitive; the defenders' homes were burned and the stronghold was not rebuilt.